Extensive third degree burns are always very serious injuries and are often lethal. Much of the resultant morbidity and mortality is due to infection originating in the burned tissue. The irreparable damaged ischemic skin is highly susceptible to infection and this is compounded by the lowered "defenses" of the severly burned patient. Although local and systemic chemotherapy has lowered deaths from septicemia, the incidence of severe burn wound infection is still high and morbidity still too prolonged. Recovery and return of function is contingent to a large degree on the earliest safe removal of burn eschar and skin grafting. Early surgical excision of the eschar using the usual "cold" scalpel and skin grafting (homografting and autografting) have been advocated. Where feasible this approach is good, but when the deep burn is extensive, such excision is a formidable procedure involving prolonged anesthesia, considerable blood loss and replacement. The use of the CO2 laser which we introduced and are investigating offers significant advantages for excision of large deep burns, as may the bovie. Our objective is to develop methods for the rapid chemical (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) debridemet of third degree burns in simple, safe, non-toxic (local and systemic) and effective ways without having to subject the patients to anesthesia and a formal surgical operation for the debridement. Such debridemet must permit immediate successful skin-grafting. We propose to continue studies of the use of proteolytic and mucolytic enzymes as debriding agents, along with non- enzymatic chemicals which we have found to be debriding agents and which may potentiate the action of the debriding enzymes. We are developing mixtures of enzymes, chemical activators of the enzymes and anti-microbial chemicals which are compatible, i.e., systems where the antimicrobial and debriding agents do not interfere with one another's action. The methods developed will be compatible with methods for surgical excision.